People
Key questions
How will management treat my contributions? As a user of the group, any valid objection shall be addressed, and any concern shall have a best-effort analysis.
How secure is the information? The website uses https and there are regular backups. This said, you should always keep a backup of your data on a local storage. The login system makes sure that every user logs in.
Will I need to spend much more time online? No, in what relates to the technology, if you consider it shall have less distractions, you may eventually spend less time.
Will this really improve communications and decision making?
It will for sure help to read and keep track of discussions more easily, having categories embedded and arrangement in a time-order manner.
What is the nature of the relationship between the people involved?
Everyone here has somehow got contact with S3 through an S3 course with someone in the group
How well do communications and connections work now?
There is some redundancy in the questions, and not so many posts in the group.
How will this new tools fit with existing practices?
They allow for moderators, they allow for users to write posts, and for replys. One can add images and links too, so I imagine existing practices are covered.
What is the problem with the current methods the group is using, and what are the costs?
Time used on FB is eventually more then needed. Its hard to keep track of subjects and conversations.
Place
Key Questions
How does place influence the way the group acts?
people might restrain from sharing certain subjects on facebook
How important is identity to this group?
How important is neutrality?
valid arguments are the heart of empowered discussion
In what ways does the group create identity now?
Where is the group’s ‘place’? Is it physical or online? Online
How does the place make online community easier or harder in the context of new technology?
Easier: by giving badges to existing users. By seeing how many clicks a link gets.
Harder: will have an initial learning curve and might cause some resistance.
Practice
Getting clear on current work practice supports success in new work practice. If people are unclear on the terms on engagement, they might not engage at all. Hosting discussions on these questions as a starting place can be a powerful step toward meaningful collaboration, and reveal the group’s true dynamics in a new way.
If the group meets face to face, having an agenda item to discuss how the new technology will be used in the next week will build the new habit. Once people understand the problem being solved by the new technology and how it relates to the current sense of people, place and process, you are much more likely to get great engagement. Consider introducing new technology as a change in work practice rather than just a new tool.
Key Questions
How does the group communicate now?
through FB
What tools are in use? FB group and chat and sociocracy30.org website and physical
How does the group make decisions? Usually James proposes something and it goes into consent.
Is it clear how agreement is reached? Yes, public group consent.
Does the group understand how work is delegated? Yes, its made transparent. FB admins were volunteers and their role was subject to group consent. James as stewards sets the field for them.
What decision-making or collaboration processes are already in place? consent
Who are the people who need to understand the current problem? group admins, James and Bernard, most active users in the group. other users too
What about your current ways of doing things and group identity are important to uphold and continue? Ease of Use.
How can you use current processes to support the introduction of new work practice?
Through consent on FB
Introducing the Technology
Once you’ve thought through People, Place, and Practice, then begin thinking about introducing the tool. Give people a great first experience, and provide training and resources to encourage uptake. Continue to engage with the deeper questions as the tool is rolled out. Introducing a new process often highlights the strengths and weaknesses of existing processes, and reveals understanding of the dynamics in a group.
People beginning Loomio groups are often amazed to discover they actually don’t know how decisions are currently made in their organisation. The answers you arrive at will be different for every group, but engagement with the deeper questions is the key to genuine and successful collaboration, online and offline.